My final point is projects of this size require a lot of capital and I mean a lot!

I have a great crew of guys waiting on the next project, and there are quite a few opportunities in P'burgh to buy wholesale properties to renovate and rent. 

In general,newer is better.Unless you're talking about historical homes in special historical neighborhoods,a 70 year old home is gonna be worth more than the homes pushing 100 years that are probably long overdue for massive repairs and remodeling (new plumbing,rewire the electrics,new roof,water heaters,etc.

It's safe to assume a property owned by an LLC is held by an investor (landlord) or rehabber or maybe a developer planning a bigger project.

He has the knowledge and skills to tackle any construction or renovation project.

Or should I aim for whichever position that will provide a quicker path to a higher salary, therefore allowing me to actually invest in projects?

RealtyShares is growing - another way to invest in real estate:https://techcrunch.com/2015/04/07/realtyshares-gets-10m-from-menlo-to-grow-its-platform-for-crowdfunding-real-estate-projects/

What are some alternative ways to get funding for this project without having to wait 4 months to restart?

I don't like to plug in uniform, base rent increases, etc because you may be buying way below market with massive increases initially then subtle 2-3% across your ownership, etc.  

They are only future projections.